Collarbone
by Nytel
Summary: It had been just over a week since Kara broke her collarbone. KL, No spoilers


**Collarbone**

It had been just over a week since Kara broke her collarbone. One of her idiot nuggets, and none of them would confess exactly who, had ran into her from behind at the top of the stairs leading from the overhang down to the flight deck. She'd tumbled down the entire way, only managing to lessen the impact somewhat by bracing one arm against the deck. Stupid. It had resulted in a broken collarbone, and one very pissed off Starbuck.

Kara thought she'd known what frustration was, but apparently she hadn't, not until now. Nothing was as exasperating as altering a million tiny different things in her day-to-day activities to compensate for having only one mobile arm. So far, she'd managed.

She had accomplished eating with her left hand even though she was right-handed, learned how to scribble in an almost legible manner, determined the easiest way to shower, and the list went on. The hardest thing of all was getting dressed. It was damn near impossible. So far Kara had stuck to wearing baggy shirts, sweatpants and untied boots, because it was all that she could handle.

When the Commander requested her presence in a meeting with the President, she knew she was screwed. Something that formal meant dress blues, and that would be impossible. However, it didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

For what seemed like the millionth time in the past half hour Kara held out her pants with one hand, and stepped into them. Reaching down, she grabbed the waistband and _tried_ to pull them up. Dress blues were meant to fit perfectly, unfortunately that meant they were tight enough that they needed to be tugged up over her hips.

She got them almost all the way there before they slid down her legs to pool at her feet. Holding back a scream of frustration, she kicked them the rest of the way off. The last extension of her leg sent them flying across the room, nearly hitting the person walking through the hatch.

Lee dodged at the last second and grabbed the wayward garment with his hand. "What, don't like your pants today, Starbuck?" He teased as he held them out to her.

"Frak you," she seethed as she stomped toward him and snatched them out of his hand. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but she ignored it, turning her back to him and walking to her bunk.

"I guess the nuggets aren't exaggerating," he commented as he made his way to his rack, directly opposite hers. "You really are extremely bitchy this week." He voice was still light and joking, but she wasn't in the mood.

She turned around and shot him a death glare.

He looked like he was trying not to laugh. "You know, you don't look that intimidating when you're standing there in your underwear."

"You know what, Lee? Frak you. I broke my gods damn collarbone, I'm allowed to be bitchy."

Lee shrugged and leaned against the ladder to his bunk. "I broke my collarbone when I was five. I was learning how to ride a bike and I fell off. My parents felt so bad. My dad even bought me ice cream every day for almost three weeks straight."

Kara fumed. "That's nice, but I don't see anyone giving me any frakking ice cream."

Lee's face sobered. "Um, do you… need any help?"

She snorted in disbelief. "It took you a week to ask?"

He gave her a tentative apologetic smile. "Sorry." He walked over to where she was standing. "Seriously, Kara, do you need me to do anything for you? Paperwork—"

"No," she stated angrily, interrupting him. "I'm doing fine."

"Okay." But she could tell he didn't believe her. "Well, if you change your mind…"

"I don't need to change my mind," she muttered under her breath. "I just need to change my frakking clothes."

"What?" Lee asked, leaning forward slightly in the hopes to hear better.

"Nothing."

Either he had heard her, or else he'd just managed to piece it together, because before she knew it he'd taken the pants out of her hand and was sitting on her bunk, holding them out in front of him.

He looked up at her, waiting for her to step into the pants. "I won't tell anyone."

Kara let out an angry sigh. She couldn't believe she needed help getting dressed. "You better not." 

"Promise," he said, a coy smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Seeing no way around it, Kara bit back her pride and stepped into the pants, placing her left hand on Lee's shoulder for balance. He pulled the pants up and over her hips, his fingertips gently brushing against her backside as he did so. With that simple touch the mood in the room shifted from playful to something much more intense. Kara inhaled sharply as an unexpected shiver ran up her spine. Thankfully, Lee didn't seem to notice.

Moving his hands to the front of her waistband, Lee tugged slightly, making her step closer. The warmth of his breath caressed her stomach as he slowly did up the button fly. Kara's eyelids fluttered closed and her body tingled with an anticipation that normally came before sex. The realization shocked her and her eyes flew open just as Lee finished with the top button.

He looked up at her before grabbing her tanks, which were on the bed beside him, and standing up. Moving slowly, and with a gentleness she didn't know he possessed, Lee slipped the armhole of the tanks over the arm on her injured side, taking great care not to jostle the sling. When he reached up, she ducked just slightly, so that he could guide the shirts over her head before slipping her other arm through the tanks.

Kara's eyes locked with his. He pulled the material down at an agonizingly slow rate. His hands grazed the sides of her breasts. She trembled again, and her heart began to race. Even as she was thinking that this was insane, she wished it wasn't about to stop.

When the tanks were in place, Lee broke the gaze and pulled his hands away. He looked flustered.

"Thanks," she said quietly. She felt too warm and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

"No problem," Lee replied as he smiled at her shyly.

Kara smiled back. She had a feeling that the next five weeks might not be nearly as bad as she'd originally anticipated.

The End


End file.
